The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-04-21

! Her sums in arithmetic bothered her, but she
thought that she could do them very well if
it wasn't for the fractions. Then, too, she
did not feel certain that she had quite COM
mitted to memory the names of all the rivers
in the country, and tomorrow her teacher
would take the pointer and go over the map,
and the children would have to be ready to
call the names of each river as it was pointed
out; and then there was the physiology
lesson, with queer names, that made her feel
rather wonder-stricken about the strange
arrangements inside of her. There, too, was
her music; she must practice that.
Looked at thus, the tasks before her seemed
very many and great. She rested her head
wearily on the side of the big cushioned chair
in which she had nestled herself. How nice
it would be, she thought if all the numbers
wcreeven, so that weshouldn't have so many
tiresome fractions to bother us. If 8 and 7
in two like 4 and and g. and so on, how
nice it would be. She could imagine them
splitting easily in two like a free-stone peach
or big mellow apple. Meanwhile the
names Of the rivers flowed through her
memory with pleasant murmur. When
thenames were called over in the classroom,
the sound ran into sort of tune, by hurry
ing some names and hanging on others and
as they ran through her mind, they seemed
to tune up more and more. There were
Kewanee, Great Pedee,
Wateree, Tennessee,
And all the others that end in ee;
Saline. Muscattne.
Racine, Sabine,
And all the others that end in inc;
Calumet, Marquette,
Racouette. Willamette
And all the others that end in cite.
way, 1 could learn them so much more
easily" she thought; but they won't, for
the fractions would never keep time"
Just then she heard q rap-rap from the
teachers desk. snow, Bertha, let us hear
your recitationv' said the teacher, whose
croes.
Bertha got on the platform and began to
repeat the piece that she had learned. Curl
ously enough, it seemed to fit right to what
she had been thinking about; but try as she
might, she could not speak out in loud
tOne and her voice sounded thin and far
away. This is the way the recitation went:
ODD AND EVEN.
II things would only even break,
And not split into fractions,
1t would our tasks so easy make,
Ana Mmpnfy our actions.
II everything would fit in so
That there'd be naught left over,
The world would then SO smoothly go
That we should never bother.
II odd things did not trouble give,
All things would then come even;
In peace would all the people live,
The world would be heaven.
.
When she finished and sat down, nobody
seemed to notice her, for they were again
busy singing the song Of the rivers.
Alabama, Savannah,
Chicasaw, Saginaw,
Tampa, Wiccamaw,
And all the others that end In aw.
Ohio, Pamlico,
EdistO, Quantico,
Oconto, Wicomico,
And all the others that end In o.
Nanticoke, PocomOke,
Merrimac, Mannowannac,
PingOteaguc, Chincoteague,
And all the others that end in eague.
Rap-rap! went the teachers gavel. ''Time
oor your physiology lesson," she said. She
struck q tuning-fork. "Now, all together"
Bertha found herself singing her lesson to
. merry tune, and yet it seemed quite natural
to do SO. And this is what they sang:
DIGESTION.
The process Of digestion is very interesting,
A scientific mystery the whole subject invest
ing.
Widely varying compounds are by it assimi-
lated,
And living organisms are curiously created.
CHoRUs-For thus 1t is, you see,
- The wondrOus work goes on,
That makes our blood, renews our
~ II, flesh,
r. Builds up the skeleton.
d is in the stomach, in pours the
"euice-
ne body, with most important use.
.ch turns and stirs the mass about,
all the time
Ais very rapidly converted into chyme.
Us-For thus it is, you see, etc.
vent ON TO sing about how in came
acreatic juices and the bile, and
ed the pasty chyme into the fluid
-; and then the song seemed to trickle
away Into nothingness, while the song OF
NJ fiveu doomed loudly through the room
seain.
Totusky, sandusky,
eausatuck, Currituck,
Nanoxen, Chicomuxen,
Mattawan. Msnesquan,
Rappahanock. Upper BannOck.
Waukegnn, Cheboygsn.
Huron. Muskingum,
Ietaluma, L0osac0Oma,
500